Moisture teller



April 29, 1952 Hfw. DIETERT ETAL MOISTURE TELLER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Sept. 6, 1949 FIG.|.

INVENTORS HARRY w. DIETERT y ALEXANDER,L.GRAHAM ATTORNEYS April 1952 H. w. DIETERT 1-:1 AL 2,594,743

MOISTURE TELLER Filed Sept. 6, 1949 2 SHEETSSl-IEET 2 INVENTORS HARRY W. DIETERT By ALEXANDER L.GRA AM ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 29, 1952 2,594,743 MOISTURE TELLER Harry W. Dietert and Alexander L. Graham, Detroit, Mich., assignors to Harry W. Dletert Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application September 6, 1949, Serial No. 114,146

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to a moisture teller.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a moisture teller characterized by its capability of quickly removing moisture from specimens.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a moisture teller which employs infrared radiation as a source of heat in eifecting evaporation of moisture from a sample of specimen.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a moisture teller having in combination one or more sources of infra-red radiation in combination with means for directing a current of heated air over a specimen to be dried so as to carry away moisture evaporated principally by infra-red radiation.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description pro ceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a vertical section through a moisture teller constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through a somewhat modified form of moisture teller.

Referring now to Figure 1 the moisture teller comprises a vertically disposed casing I which may conveniently be formed of circular cross section. Adjacent th lower portion of the casing is a partition i2 which forms a support for a sample or specimen tray l4. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the support I2 is formed of a material pervious to infra-red radiation. For this purpose the support may be formed of Pyrex glass or the like, or it may be formed of a foraminous screen, a screen of inch mesh being suitable for this purpose.

Located within the casing I0 and directly above the specimen tray I4 is a source of infra-red radiation which may take the form of a standard infra-red electric lamp l6 herein shown as mounted in a conventional socket l8. Below the support I: is provided a similar source of infra-red radiation herein illustrated as an infrared electric lamp mounted in a socket 22 car ried by the base 24 of the casing.

Means such as a conventional switching device is provided for controlling the lamps l6 and 20 so that either one of the lamps or both of the lamps simultaneously may be energized.

The specimen tray 54 may be formed of any suitable material if the upper infra-red lamp l6 is employed alone. However, if both lamps are to be employed in order to-expedite drying of a specimen within the tray, the tray will be formed of a material pervious to infra-red radiation, such for example as Pyrex glass, or in the proper case a screen-like material.

The infra-red radiation emitted by the lamps i6 and 20 is very effective in removing moisture from the specimen contained within the tray I4. However, in order that the drying cycle may be reduced to the shortest possible duration, it is essential that combined with the heating efiect of the infra-red radiation, there shall be a current of warm dry air sufiicient to carry away moisture as it is evaporated from the specimen by infra-red radiation. In addition, the hot dry air will of course assist in actual evaporation of moisture from the specimen.

For this purpose there is provided adjacent the upper end of the casing a blower 26 located beneath a central opening in a partition 21 connected to suitable drive means such as an electric motor 28. The top of the casing is open and is closed by a removable cover 30 having air inlet openings 32 therein, and preferably provided with a screen or filter 34. The blower 26 draws cool air downwardly through the openings 32 around motor 28 whence it is caused to flow through an electric air heater 36. Preferably, thermostatic means are provided including a thermally responsive element 38 for controlling the electric current to electrical resistant heating elements 40 supported on a spider 42.

In practice, the air heater is operated to maintain passing downwardly through the casing at temperatures from to 350 Fahrenheit, and temperatures in the neighborhood of 230 have been found satisfactory in ordinary cases.

It will be observed that the downward flow of air through the upper part of the casing is first around motor 28, thus cooling the motor, then through heater 36, where it is further heated, and then directly around the upper infra-red lamp 1'8, and although this air is heated by the heater 35, it is adequate for preventing over-heating of the lamp it. However, the lamp 2!! which is contained within a small space within a lower part of the casing below the support l2, may become over-heated, and for this purpose there is provided ventilating openings indicated generally at 46 and 48 to provide for a convection flow of air.

A door 59 is provided affording access to the interior of the casing so as to permit removal and replacement of specimen pans on the support [2. Suitable outlet openings for air, such as indicated at 52, are provided to permit the lateral escape of air from the casing.

Referring now to Figure 2 there is illustrated a somewhat modified form of moisture teller. In this instance the casing 66 is provided with an upper closure element BI and a bottom closure element 62. Secured adjacent the upper end of the casing is a support 63 for a source of infrared radiation herein indicated as an infra-red lamp 64. Supported on the lower closure 621 is a second source of infra-red radiation herein disclosed as an infra-red lamp 65. Conventional switches will be provided so that either the lamp 6 3 or both the lamps 64 and 65 will be simultaneously energized.

Intermediate the casing is a tray support 66 which as illustrated, may take the form of a grid or a plurality of bars. Located on the support is a specimen tray 67. The tray 61 is formed of a material pervious to infra-red radiation as for example, Pyrex glass.

Means are provided for carrying away moisture evaporated from material in the specimen tray by infra-red radiation, and this means is herein illustrated as comprising a blower 68 having an inlet 69 and an outlet 70 connected to an inlet tube H carried by the casing. Preferably, the inlet tube H carries electrical heating means indicated generally at 12, which may be in the form of a plurality of turns of electrical resistance heating elements carried by across or spider of mica or other suitable insulating material. At the opposite side of the casing there is provided an outlet tube indicated generally at 73.

In use, one or both of the infra-red lamps 6d and 65 is energized so as to irradiate the material carried in the specimen tray 61. This has the effect of evaporating moisture from the material. This moisture is carried away by a current of air blown over the specimen tray by the blower 68. Preferably, the air is heated by the electric heating device 12 so that warm dry air is circulated over the specimen tray. This warm dry air not only removes moisture evaporated by irradiation but also assists in drying the material in the specimen tray.

The combination of means for radiating the specimen with infra-red radiation with means for circulating hot dry air over the specimen, results in reducing the time required to remove moisture from the specimen to a small fraction of the time required if the infra-red radiation is omitted. Moreover, the use of the infra-red radiation alone without the provision of the circulation of heated dry air for carrying away the moisture is much less satisfactory. The circulation of the heated dryair not only assists in removing moisture from the material in the tray, but also prevents condensation of moisture on the interior of the casing.

The drawings and the foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved moisture teller in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claim.

What we claim as our invention is:

A moisture teller comprising a vertical casing having an air inlet opening adjacent its top, a centrally apertured partition extending across the casing beneath said opening, a motor in said casing above the opening in said partition, a blower in said casing below said partition, drive means extending through said opening connecting said motor to said blower, air heating means in said casing below said blower, an infra-red lamp in said casing below said air heating means, a specimen support in said casing below said lamp, said casing having air exhaust openings located in the side thereof above said specimen support to provide for a flow of air over material on said specimen support to carry away moisture, said specimen support including a support partition extending across said casing, said support partition being pervious to infra-red radiation and defining a lower lamp compartment with the lower part of said casing, a second infra-red lamp in said lower lamp compartment, said lower lamp compartment having air openings to provide for a cooling circulation of air therethrough.

HARRY W. DIETERT. ALEXANDER L. GRAHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,284,218 Benjamin Nov. 12, 1918 1,796,384 McElroy Mar. 17, 1931 2,281,184 Dykstra et al Apr. 28, 1942 2,355,671 Naeher et al Aug. 15, 1944 2,360,257 Muller et al Oct. 10, 1944 2,549,619 Miskel'la Apr. 17,1951 

